Christian Law
Contemporary Principles

Christian Law: Contemporary Principles offers a detailed comparison of the laws of churches across ten distinct Christian traditions worldwide: Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Presbyterian, United, Congregational and Baptist. From this comparison, Professor Doe proposes that all denominations of the faith share common principles in spite of their doctrinal divisions; and that these principles reveal a concept of 'Christian law' and contribute to a theological understanding of global Christian identity. Adopting a unique interdisciplinary approach, the book provides comprehensive coverage on the sources and purposes of church law, the faithful (lay and ordained), the institutions of church governance, discipline and dispute resolution, doctrine and worship, the rites of passage, ecumenism, property and finance, as well as church, State and society. This is an invaluable resource for lawyers and theologians who are engaged in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, showing how dogmas may divide but laws link Christians across traditions.

Preface; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The sources and purposes of ecclesiastical regulation; 2. The faithful - the laity and lay ministry; 3. The ordained ministers of the church; 4. The institutions of ecclesiastical governance; 5. Ecclesiastical discipline and conflict resolution; 6. Doctrine and worship; 7. The rites of passage; 8. Ecumenical relations; 9. Church property and finance; 10. Church, state and society; General conclusion; Appendix: the principles of law common to Christian churches; Bibliography; Index.

Norman Doe is Professor of Law and Director of the Centre for Law and Religion at the Law School, Cardiff University. He is author of Fundamental Authority in Late Medieval English Law (Cambridge, 1990), The Legal Framework of the Church of England (1996), Canon Law in the Anglican Communion (1998), The Law of the Church in Wales (2002), An Anglican Covenant (2008) and Law and Religion in Europe (2011). He holds degrees from the Universities of Wales, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as a Lambeth DCL and is Chancellor of the Diocese of Bangor in the (Anglican) Church in Wales. He has been a visiting fellow at Trinity College, Oxford, teaches annually at the University of Paris, and directs the LLM in Canon Law at Cardiff University. He has advised the Primates of the Anglican Communion on Canon Law and served on the Lambeth Commission on Communion (2004). His academic affiliations include the Ecclesiastical Law Society, the European Consortium for Church-State Research (President, 2010) and, as a founding member, the Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers (1999), the Interfaith Legal Advisers Network (2007) and the Law and Religion Scholars Network (2008).